Food processing methods and associated apparatuses are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a food processing method includes heating a meat product in an oven to a pasteurizing temperature of the meat product followed by drying the meat product at the oven temperature that is below the maximum oven temperature of the processing cycle. In another embodiment, the method includes heating a meat product in a continuous belt grill, followed by drying the meat product in a temperature/relative humidity controlled oven. By breaking the food processing method into at least two phases, the method can result in a shorter processing time with better control of the process end points.
